"Silence"
by Steve Rist

The small black dot appeared downwind from our set cutting through the overcast sky. The scout dropped down low from the coaxing of John Conaly's calling. Then, with caution as his forethought the scout instinctively cut east and gained altitude. It took a bit more convincing from Johns call, combined with a few background notes from Bill Johnson's custom call, to get our visitor to make up his mind that this was really the place to be. John is a National Champion Crow Caller, and Bill is a 5 time All-American trapshooting champion and 1988 National Sporting Clays champion. I was in good company, though I considered myself the weak link in the chain having only a couple of junior trapshooting championships under my belt. You have to shoot quick with these guys or get left behind. Someone just shot, I thought, but, it wasn't me.

I was just 20 feet from Bill when I saw the bird crumbled, but I barely heard the report. I was not convinced that it was Bill that fired but there was no one else in position to take the shot. Something was different here. No time to research, more dots on the horizon headed our way. Through the haze you could see them, you could hear them, and were they mad, yet confident in their numbers.

Hidden in a well camouflaged blind, clothing, and 70 or so decoys in the set in front, behind and overhead. We had several decoys on the ground as feeders upwind from our location. Others were strategically placed high in the trees to draw attention from a distance. The birds continued toward our set and John continued to entice them. John talks, eats and sleeps crow, you know, and whatever he was saying to them, they understood. Days like this make it all worthwhile.

There are times you can do things to help improve your chances of a great hunt. As outdoorsmen, we are always looking for that "edge", that special thing we have, or do. You know, like the perfect call, the perfect set up, or the perfect gun. What did we have in our little bag of tricks on this particular day? Well, the secret weapon of the day, the "Hush Puppy".

The Hush Puppy, as it is called, is not necessarily new, just new to us. Remember that first scout this morning? I couldn't determine who dropped him. Well, it was a round from Bill's Pup that scored. It is far and away that best thing to come along for the crow hunter since the repeating shotgun. It is amazing what this special little item will accomplish. Although can be a bit clumsy, the Hush Puppy more than makes up for its awkwardness in performance.

Sound and movement are as much a part of this sport as the camo, the calls, and the blind. As diligent crow hunters we pride ourselves in concealing our every movement and refrain from making excessive noise in the field. How often have we given the thought to the noise of the report of the shotgun? We have accepted what we have been taught, when you pull the trigger it's going to be loud and it's going to kick. Hush Puppy can alter both of those nemeses. When you think about it you recognize that if the crows would have difficulty hearing a muffled report those remaining to wing might stay around longer to assist their comrades. Until now, the maximum number of birds in your set has always resulted in a minimal number of birds harvested but the number of crows that are left, but scared off, is always 100%. Now, that can change too by changing the "POW!!#*" to an acceptable, "burst".

The Hush Puppy is a screw-in shotgun barrel extension specifically fitted to a pump shotgun and scientifically ported. Combined with low velocity loads taken from manufacturers specifications, the "Pup" and low velocity loads team up to create a shooting package that is nearly silent to crows. Lower velocities mean tighter patterns and considerably less felt recoil, certainly adding comfort to the package.

Keep these things in mind when considering a Pup. First, the Pup is designed for pump guns only. There is not enough gas pressure to operate an automatic. Second, you pretty much have to reload to make low velocity loads available. Several manufacturers manuals and reloading equipment manufacturers catalogs contain the information needed for safe sub-velocity loads. Ideal loads are those safe combinations under 1000 fps. Of course lower velocity means extra lead is needed on crossing birds. Close shots still provide higher harvest, besides, you can always keep a second non-Puppy, with high velocity loads, for those extra long shots on single birds. Thirdly, practice, practice, practice. The Pup is different to swing so a day on the practice field will make you a better shooter and it'll also make you the center of attention.

The afternoon hunt around Wichita was even more successful than the morning hunt. Birds returning to Wichita to roost return by the tens of thousands. Lots of birds, good camo, good calling and good marksmanship all contribute to successful hunts. While I stayed with my trusty stack gun, John and Bill continued with their Pups that afternoon and provided me with regular reminders that the Pups really do work. There were times when we had 30 or more birds circling our set. In an attempt to get off the first shots I popped through the brush and pulled down two birds from the group. As I turned to receive my accolades from Bill and John I noticed that both were already looking in my direction. "Nice shots", just what I wanted to hear! Then I heard "you know Steve, if you were using a Hush Puppy we all could have gotten some shooting on the other 28 birds you scared off" Point well made.